TWO WOMEN have been arrested and charged by Garda after refusing to enter mandatory hotel quarantine after flying into Dublin Airport.
Niamh Mulreany, 25, and Kirstie McGrath, 30, flew into Ireland from the United Arab Emirates, where they had been receiving treatment at King’s College Hospital.
The two women had travelled to the Middle East a few weeks earlier to undergo cosmetic surgery and encountered no issues when returning.
Mulreany, a mother of one, and McGrath, a mum of two, claim they had been careful to follow all of the rules regarding air travel and say they presented themselves with negative PCR tests prior to boarding a plane in Dubai.
However, Mulreany’s father told the Irish Mirror they were prevented from taking their seats on their flight unless they paid €1,850 in hotel quarantine fees for when they arrived in Dublin.
The two women told authorities they did not have the funds to pay the fees and were reportedly barred from returning home on the plane.
After spending two days in limbo, they were given waiver forms to board a flight bound for Ireland, citing the need to return home and look after their children.
Upon arrival in Dublin, however, they were once again told they would need to go into quarantine and pay the necessary fees.
After once again refusing to pay, the two women were arrested for breaches of the health act after failing to comply with gardaí and taken to Ballymun Garda station.
A Garda spokesperson said: “Gardai implemented the four Es approach – engaging, explaining and encouraging with enforcement a last resort.
“After failing to comply with gardai two women were arrested for breaches of the Health Act and taken to Ballymun Garda station. Both women have since been charged.”
They have since appeared in court.
See More: Coronavirus, Covid-19, Travel
